Digital Commons Network^™

Critical Race Theory: An Empirical Investigation Of Its Benefits, Saba Lily Modaressi, Desiree A. Crevecoeur-Macphail

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Within the last decade, discussions regarding the implementation of critical race theory in education have gained significant controversy among educators and politicians. Although empirical research on critical race theory is limited, conservative states continue to place bans on the teaching of critical race theory (CRT) in K-12 schools (Carter, 2021). The purpose of this study was to build empirical research on CRT, specifically examining whether a course utilizing a critical race curriculum is effective in reducing negative stereotype beliefs and improving attitudes toward critical race theory. Nineteen undergraduate students who were enrolled in the course, IES 102: The Social Construct …

Strategic Growth Plan For Developing Indian Engineering Educational Institutes In The Era Of Emerging Areas Of Science And Technology, Sunita R. Patil Dr., Suresh K. Ukarande Dr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Strategic growth plan is a road map of an institute looking for its continuous and sustainable development over certain time duration. Measuring the constant and sustainable growth of any higher and technical educational institute, the strategic goal plan is the blueprint focused towards achieving the vision and mission of the institute. The strategies in terms of short and long term goals, measured through performance indicators of academics, administration, finance, research and extension activities need to be identifies, defined, worked on it and should be monitored and evaluated against target settings. This article presents the Strategic Educational Growth Plan of K …

Information And Communications Technologies And Democratic Education: Lessons From John Dewey's Pragmatism, Jonathan Flowers

Education and Culture

This essay applies lessons from John Dewey’s theory of democracy and democratic education to the modern development of information communications technologies and the assertion that the development of such technologies will lead to a more open, more democratic society. Given the continuity of the technology and its applications with structures of oppression within modern society, any attempt to resolve or democratize technology through skills-based training is bound to fail, as this does not resolve the cultural habits that enable oppression through technology. To this end, what is necessary is democratic education that recognizes the unique contexts in which students become …

Challenges In Education: A Deweyan Assessment Of Ai Technologies In The Classroom, Ande Eitner

Education and Culture

Artificial intelligence is profoundly transforming the world in various spheres and already finding its way into educational institutions. This essay aims to examine whether the Deweyan ideal of education can be achieved through such digital means. By analyzing how both the aims and means of education, as defined by Dewey, can be understood in the context of learning with artificial intelligence, the inherent differences of both educational approaches are brought out. It becomes apparent that important concepts that characterize successful education for Dewey, such as intrinsic inquiry, experience-based schooling, and thinking as the method for learning, do not go hand …

Data And Growth In Education: A Deweyan Analysis, Kevin Taylor

Education and Culture

For Dewey, growth in the educative process means education that enriches and expands one’s experience as it prepares students for not only a vocation but also entry into and transaction with the world. In few places can we see growth, generally understood, to be occurring as fast as in big data technology. This essay begins with an overview of what big data is, specifically what big data looks like in education as understood through learning management system platforms but also data as understood generally on a college campus through dataveillance, or data surveillance understood as the monitoring or possibility of …

Integrating Art And Design With Environmental Science, Laura D. Hinson

The Confluence

This article demonstrates how combining art and design and environmental sciences would benefit both fields by analyzing how utilizing art and design in environmental sciences can help enhance aspects of the teaching process and environmental studies, specifically those dealing with climatology and pollution. Additionally, by taking an ecocritical approach to analyzing art and its creation, this article will detail how artists can become more conscious of the impacts creating certain types of art has on the environment while also noting environmental changes documented through art.

“You Taught Us How To Change The World”: A Critical Autoethnography Reimagining The Future Of Education, Isabella Howard

Undergraduate Theses

As schools become more culturally and linguistically diverse, we need trained, well-prepared educators that value students for who they are, build on their backgrounds, and maintain their unique identities in the classroom. An asset-based, culturally sustaining approach to teaching incorporates theoretical grounding, a consideration of global identities, and a sociopolitical edge that allows students to thrive and think analytically. Through this approach, we can give students more confidence in their abilities as learners by activating their prior knowledge and experience to break down the content and build understanding of it, and we can connect the students to their learning, providing …

Why Education Matters: Understanding Islamophobia In The United States, Cintya Felix

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Since 9/11, there has been a significant increase in anti-Muslim racism which can be linked to misinformation, misconception, and stereotypes reinforced by a lack of an educational upbringing. In this paper, I examine the extent to which an individual's education level in the United States contributes to Islamophobia. Using an original data set of responses to the questions in the Chapman University Survey of American Fears (CSAF), I find a moderately strong relationship between the highest level of school an individual has completed or the highest degree they have received, and the degree to which they are afraid of Muslims. …

Hailey's Hearing Aids, Hailey Marie Garcia

Whittier Scholars Program

Individuals from the deaf and hard-of-hearing community are likely to experience more anxiety and depression due to defective cognitive, social, communicational, and emotional skills (Azizi et al., 2019). The word “disability” is embedded with historical negative connotations with phrases such as “deaf and dumb” because if they were deaf or mute then they were automatically labeled as inferior (Horovitz, 2007). Since the 18th century, the DHH community has been seen as incapable, even inhuman, hence the development of emotional deficiencies that bleed into one’s perception of society and their self esteem (Gallaudet, 1886).

How do you navigate a hearing world …

Impact Of Career And Technical Education Among High School Students In Texas, Tammy Ridgway

Theses & Dissertations

Existing research documents the importance and relevance of career and technical education (CTE) throughout American history. Beginning with the passage of the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917 to the passage of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21^st Century in July of 2018, federal and state legislation continue to shape vocational education within our public-school systems. The literature provides strong evidence between student success, in terms of high school graduation rate and post-secondary educational attainment, and the participation in career and technical education during the high school years. This dissertation analyzes whether dual credit career and technical education …

Understanding The Significance Of Building A School In Belize Through Action Research, Stephen Todd Speer

Theses & Dissertations

Research Focus. In Central America, the country of Belize shares its border with Guatemala and Mexico. These countries, with El Salvador and Honduras, are known as the most dangerous areas in our world outside active war zones (Dudlry, 2012; Edwards & Gill, 2002; UNODC, 2019). Crime is the largest contributor to instability in the region and creates a dangerous environment that must be reduced. Reduction of crime can correlate to an increase in available educational opportunities (Edwards, 2002; OSAC, 2019). The U.S. government conducts foreign humanitarian programs that increase educational opportunities in hope of reducing crime and stabilizing the region …

History Doesn’T Repeat Itself, But Often Rhymes: An Analysis And Extension Of Models Influencing Special Education, Rebecca Owens

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

The American special education system is largely hailed as a beacon for inclusion and support of students with disabilities, but was developed on the back of a deep, complicated history of isolation, fear, and ignorance. This historical analysis examines special education in the context of parallel-developing models of how those with disabilities are perceived and treated in the United States. Rather than juxtaposing the widely-discussed models of disability (moral, medical, and social) with the development of special education, I argue that they are consistent with a wave pattern, initially proposed by disability scholar and advocate Wolfensberger (1969), that traces the …

Black Fatherhood: A Critical Component For Urban African American Student Success, Cameron Steel

Honor’s College Freeman Research Journal

A multitude of studies express that father involvement has an impact on student achievement and learning outcomes for urban African American students (Palm & Fagan, 2008). Although biological fathers are extremely vital to our community, a biological connection between a parental figure and their student is not essential to these correlational outcomes. The absence of fathers in the urban African American community has had a negative impact on students' self-esteem, academic efficacy, and general livelihood. Realistically, it is not a viable solution to place fathers in homes or force them to stay and remain active participants in their child's K-12 …

Juan Crow: A Discriminatory Past With Contemporary Consequences Against Mexican Americans, Alicia Delaney

Honors Program Theses and Projects

This paper will focus on the past and contemporary systemic discrimination of the Mexican and Mexican American communities in Texas and California. I will first discuss how, despite being considered citizens at the federal level since the enactment Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, Mexicans and their descendants were subject to de facto segregation policies, discriminatory economic and social practices at the local and State levels, and numerous acts of violence. They were racialized as “others” in terms of language, customs, and supposed inferior morality. In addition, I will explain the numerous factors that have, in the past and present, …

Turbocharge Tutoring Business Plan, Daniel Rugen Haller

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

College tutoring business plan.

The First Surs World Congress Of Robotic Surgery At Mount Sinai Hospital In New York City: A Tribute To The Past And The Future Of Robotic Urologic Surgery, Raghav Gupta, Deepak Chopra, Ashok K. Hemal, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Craig G. Rogers, Chandru P. Sundaram, Ashutosh K. Tewari

Urology Articles

No abstract provided.

Training Program For Occupational Therapists Working With Skilled Caregivers In Skilled Nursing Facilities, Lovegifty Dudero, Mai Huynh, Ridhee Patel

Occupational Therapy | MSOT Capstone Projects

Dementia impairs one’s ability to live independently and participate in everyday activities (CDC, 2019). Individuals with dementia (IwD) are often referred to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) for around-the-clock care to receive support for their everyday challenges brought on by dementia symptoms. Although certified nursing assistants (CNAs) help IwD with everyday self-care tasks, they frequently lack specialized dementia care training. Consequently, CNAs experience low self-efficacy when providing care and managing challenging behaviors IwD may have. OTs have expertise and understanding regarding the stages of dementia and how the symptoms of dementia impact participation in daily occupations. OTs working in SNFs are …

Textbook Affordability At Smith College: Affirming Smith's Commitment To Creating An Inclusive, Equitable And Accessible Educational Community, Natalie Laroche

Other Student Projects

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group’s (PIRG) Education Fund, notes that “in 2020, 65 percent of students surveyed reported skipping buying a textbook because of cost” (Vitez & Nagle, n.d.). The costs of course materials are rising at astronomical rates. According to the Student PIRGs, “the cost of textbooks and course materials has increased at three times the rate of inflation since the 1970s” (Xie, 2023). Textbooks are unnecessarily expensive and are increasingly a barrier to education access and student success. Extensive research has demonstrated that while publishers can get away with (and profit off of) high prices, students who …

Design And Development Of A Virtual Reality Training Platform For Fiber-Reinforced Composite Manufacturing, Taufiq Rahman

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Theses - Archive

This study presents the design and development of a virtual reality (VR) training platform for manufacturing fiber-reinforced composites, a sophisticated and high-demand material in various industries. Due to the high costs and safety concerns associated with compression molding machines - essential equipment for this manufacturing process, the VR platform offers a promising alternative for training to educational institutions and manufacturing industries. The platform provides an immersive, interactive training and cost-efficient learning environment, allowing users to gain practical experience without the risks and expenses of physical training. The VR training module was developed using the Unity game engine and deployed on …

Student Perceptions Of Male And Female Instructors In A Post-Secondary Welding Course, S. Kjersti R. Decker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Agricultural mechanics and welding have traditionally been perceived to be careers reserved for males, yet more females have entered professions using welding such as agricultural education. This research was developed because of the lack of gender research in welding. The purpose of this study was to examine students’ perceptions of learning from a male instructor versus a female instructor in a post-secondary welding course. We examined associations and differences between students’ preference of a male and a female welding instructor as well as individual self-efficacy and perceptions towards using welding technology. The population for this study was undergraduate students and …

Utilizing Edtpa As A Student Teaching Tool To Ensure Future Teaching Success, Matthew Aspinwall

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) is an educator preparatory program that students complete at the end of their pre-professional experience. This assessment is often met with fear and apprehension for pre-service teachers leading up to its completion. With edTPA being completed during the student teaching experience, it can become a large burden on the student. This thesis will outline how changing your perspective of the edTPA process from an extensive assessment into using edTPA to make student teaching a more meaningful experience that expands your impact on your school and community. With that, the research question asks: How can student …

“Brute Force Teacher”: Outlasting The Turbulent Cycle Of Teacher Turnover, Anne Marie Light

Education Policy and Leadership Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to debunk negative stereotypes that surround educators in urban schools and depict how high-performing veteran teachers became the resilient educators they are now. Teachers are the greatest determiner of student success (Marzano et al., 2001). Therefore, understanding our highest-performing teachers in our schools is imperative. Skaalvik and Skaalvik (2011) found that a staggering percentage of the teachers who entered the field left within their first three to five years of teaching. Understanding our highest performing teachers with five plus years of experiences through research is necessary.

This generic qualitative study utilized Polidore’s Theoretical Model …

Curriculum Connectivity In Montclair State University’S Undergraduate Mathematics Program, Ana G. Da Silva Jesus

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

According to Piaget’s cognitive development theory and the constructivism learning theory of education, real learning occurs when students establish long term connections between disciplines by either adapting or redefining previously acquired knowledge. These ideologies have important teaching and learning implications that directly influence curriculum development and the design of a course of study. This thesis explores the interconnectedness of the subjects required for the successful completion of an undergraduate math program at Montclair State University. More specifically, it models students’ unique connections through a learning network and investigates the correlation between the interconnectivity of subjects and students’ overall performance. Results …

A Comparison Of Approaches To Closing The Achievement Gap In Public, Charter, And Catholic Urban High Schools In New York State, Kiante' Eli Jones

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Throughout the history of the United States there have existed gaps in the educational achievement outcomes of different groups of students. One of the most well-known and persistent achievement gaps is seen in the academic performance of Black versus White students, which is also known as the Black-White student achievement gap (BWSAG). The BWSAG is manifest in data such as grades, standardized test scores, course selection, school dropout rates, and college completion. This study examines how three schools with significant Black student populations, including an urban traditional public school, a Catholic school, and a charter school narrow the BWSAG among …

Lavoo, E. M., Collection, 1922-1923, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

The E. M. LaVoo Collection contains research material on education and public schools mostly in Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa, conducted by an “E. M. LaVoo” of Kansas City, Missouri in the early 1920s.

The Impact Of A Tailored Nutrition Education Program On Maximal Oxygen Consumption And Nutrition Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors In Adolescent Male Hockey Players, Kerianne M. Shine

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

During adolescence, athletes are at risk of failing to meet dietary recommendations due to their bodies' demand for additional energy during physical activity. For adolescent athletes, data on sport nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (KAB) are limited, especially when studied collectively. This project analyzed the impact of nutrition education on KAB of adolescent male hockey players with the incorporation of measurement of maximal oxygen consumption. A single arm trial was conducted with participants and parents/guardians from the Team Alaska 16U and 18U hockey teams. Pre intervention, the participants completed a demographics survey, the Abridged Nutrition for Sport Knowledge Questionnaire (A-NSKQ), …

Passive Education, Passive Users: A Research-Informed Elementary Curriculum For Media Literacy, Surveillance, And Technology Engagement, Jocelyn Elizabeth Brooks

Communication Honors Theses

While media scholars have established that media literacy is imperative to strengthen media’s positive effects and limit its negative effects, elementary-aged children continue to be underserved in current and relevant media literacy education. To address this disparity, this thesis created an age-appropriate media literacy curriculum for children aged seven to nine, bolstered by a comprehensive review of the current literature, which was then taught to a second-grade class at a San Antonio charter school. Results found that students’ current knowledge of contemporary media literacy concepts is minimal, but students made significant improvements through implementation of the proposed curriculum. This project …

Education, Beliefs, And Health Literacy Of Care Providers On Mouth Care Of Older Adults, Molly Lakin

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Oral health is important to one’s overall health and quality of life as it can lead to chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, and neurodegenerative disorders (Haumschild et al. 2021). In long-term care facilities, it is important that dependent older adults are provided mouth care to maintain their oral health and decrease their chances of developing a chronic illness; however, there are barriers affecting the level, quality, and quantity of mouth care being provided in these facilities. A survey was developed to look at the education, beliefs, and health literacy of care providers on providing mouth care in hopes …

An Assessment Of Dietetics And Nutrition Graduate Program Students' Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors Regarding The Subject Of Microplastics, Gabrielle M. Arnes

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

Microplastics exist in every aspect of our lives, from the ground and ocean to food and clothing. It is becoming more and more evident that microplastics can have negative effects on the environment, human health and food safety. This study examined Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) accredited graduate program (GP) students' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards microplastics. An electronic survey was sent to ACEND GP program directors (n = 56) to forward to their GP students. Among the 30 students who completed the full survey, 83.3% had previously heard of microplastics. Although almost all participants had …

The Impact Of Internal Barriers On Technology Use In Rural Schools, Coquesa G. Dotson

College of Education

Technology implementation in rural schools can ensure that students are more prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Therefore, it is important to remove internal barriers to technology implementation. By revealing the current levels of implementation , insight will be provided to rural districts on how to address internal barriers. The purpose of this quantitative, comparative, correlational study was to identify how integrate technology into their instruction influenced their actual practices. Data were collected using a closed-ended online survey using a 7-point Likert scale. Nonparametric measures were taken to analyze data. Comparative data analysis (Kruskal-Wallis Test and Dunn …